The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus to which a plurality of images can be connected, an information processing method, and a program therefor which are capable of connecting a plurality of images.
In related art, a switching technique for connecting a plurality of images having a physically continuous content is known, and the technique is used for a panoramic image taking, a microscopic image taking, or the like. For example, a template matching or the like is performed with respect to an entire region where a plurality of images are overlapped with each other. As a result, an offset value for optimizing a mutual positional relationship of the plurality of images to be connected is calculated. Then, on the basis of the offset value calculated, the plurality of images are connected.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 09-91410 (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses a panoramic image synthesis system as follows. A user specifies a point at which a left image and a right image that are connected with each other are matched as a user specified point. A template image which is cut out around the specified point of the left image is overlapped with a search range having the center of the specified point of the right image. In the search range, the position where the template image is most matched is calculated as a true correspondence point. On the basis of the correspondence point, a synthesis parameter for appropriately connecting the left image and the right image with each other is calculated (see, for example, paragraphs 0054 to 0071 and FIGS. 10 and 11 in Patent Document 1).
At the time when the left image and the right image are synthesized, as shown in FIG. 12 in Patent Document 1, the left image and the right image which is positioned on the basis of the synthesis parameter are overlapped with each other. In the overlapped region of the images, pixel data of the left image is used for the entire region. That is, a part of the right image is connected to the entire left image, thereby generating a synthesis image (see, for example, paragraphs 0072 to 0079 and FIG. 12 in Patent Document 1).